Former Spice Girls star Melanie Chisholm has landed a judging role on the inaugural Asian version of reality TV series America's Got Talent. The singer flew to Asia ahead of her 41st birthday on Monday (12Jan15) to prepare for the upcoming audition rounds, during which she will be searching for stars in the TV franchise's first pan-regional version, Asia's Got Talent.
Chisholm is joined by legendary record producer David Foster, Taiwanese-American actor/singer Vanness Wu, and Indonesia singer Anggun on the judging panel.
She announced the news on her official website on Tuesday (13Jan15), writing, "The big news is that I am spending my birthday this year in beautiful Singapore and Malaysia. I am thrilled to have been asked to be a part of the judging panel for what promises to be the mother of all talent shows; Asia's Got Talent. Not only will I get to enjoy the performances of applicants from 13 countries (hopefully there will be some opportunities for a bit of chair-dancing!) but I also get to travel to an amazing part of the world that I rarely have the chance to visit. How exciting is that?!!
"It's going to be broadcast in more countries than I can remember so hopefully lots of you will be able to watch. And there was me thinking that this year's birthday would be dull compared to last year!"
The live show rounds will be filmed in Malaysia and the show is set to air across Asian countries in June (15).
Chisholm previously judged on U.K. TV series Superstar in 2012 to help theatre mogul Andrew Lloyd Webber find the next lead for his revival of Jesus Christ Superstar.

Jeremy Lloyd, the co-creator of hit British TV shows 'Allo 'Allo! and Are You Being Served?, has died at the age of 84. He passed away at a hospital in London on Monday evening (22Dec14) after a battle with pneumonia.
Lloyd's agent Alexandra Cann says, "Jeremy was a great wit and always a mass of original ideas. He had a wonderfully original mind and will be greatly missed."
The veteran writer was best known for co-creating U.K. sitcoms including wartime comedy 'Allo 'Allo! and department store series Are You Being Served?, which he penned with Dad's Army writer David Croft.
As a performer, he appeared in two films with music legends The Beatles - 1964's A Hard Day's Night and Help! the following year (65) - and he also acted opposite Peter Sellers in The Magic Christian, which also featured Ringo Starr.
In 1970, he enjoyed a brief marriage to actress Joanna Lumley, who he worked with on short-lived sitcom It's Awfully Bad For Your Eyes Darling. The union, which marked his second trip down the aisle after a previous marriage to a model, ended after less than a year.
Lloyd was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2013 for his services to comedy, and he married for a third time this summer (14), tying the knot with interior designer Lizzy Moberly, 49, in June (14).

David Beckham gave an 11-year-old cancer patient a boost by paying the youngster a surprise visit as part of Gwyneth Paltrow's charity initiative.
The retired sports star took a break from his busy schedule to hang out with Lloyd Burton, who was a budding soccer player before a brain tumour left him wheelchair bound. Beckham signed a soccer ball for his young fan and chatted with him about sport. Burton says of the visit:
"I had no idea that I was going to meet David Beckham, it was such a brilliant surprise. He was really nice and we chatted lots about football." Beckham visited Burton as part of Paltrow's charity telethon, Stand Up To Cancer, which airs in the U.K. on Friday (17Oct14).

Actor Ben Affleck could not betray his loyalty to the Boston Red Sox and refused to wear a rival New York Yankees baseball cap in his new movie Gone Girl.
The Massachusetts native and die hard Red Sox fan was asked by director David Fincher to don a Yankees hat in a scene in the thriller in which his character attempts to avoid being recognised at a New York airport. However, Affleck contested Fincher's costume choice because he was not willing to wear the logo of his beloved team's longtime rival.
Affleck tells the New York Times, "That was the only fight David (Fincher) and I had, and it was a legitimate fight. I said, 'David, I love you, I would do anything for you. But I will not wear a Yankees hat. I just can't. I can't wear it because it's going to become a thing, David. I will never hear the end of it. I can't do it.' And I couldn't put it on my head."
Affleck and Fincher came to an agreement and the actor donned a New York Mets hat instead.

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Victoria and David Beckham have dismissed allegations linking them to an alleged tax avoidance scheme, insisting they have always paid their bills "in full".
The couple has become the latest big names to be linked to a movie-funding company which is among a number of schemes facing a government probe over claims they exploited loopholes in the system to help investors claim tax relief.
Reports suggest many investors could face hefty bills in the coming months as officials look into whether such schemes are legitimate.
However, a representative for the Beckhams has now spoken out to dismiss allegations the superstars ever knowingly participated in a tax avoidance scheme, saying in a statement, "The Beckhams have always paid their taxes in full and have never been involved in aggressive tax avoidance schemes. They have also been long-time supporters of the creative industries."
Theatre mogul Andrew Lloyd Webber, who has also been linked to the Ingenious Media movie company, which has helped fund films such as Avatar and Life of Pi, adds, "(I was) investing in the British film industry... At no time did I consider it solely a tax scheme."
The news comes after a number of other British stars were linked to alleged tax avoidance schemes, including pop star George Michael, members of rock group Arctic Monkeys and actor Sir Michael Caine, in a list obtained by Britian's The Times newspaper.

Actors Eric Idle, Chris O'dowd, Russell Brand and David Walliams are among the stars who have paid tribute to beloved British funnyman Rik Mayall, who died on Monday (09Jun14) at the age of 56. The shocking death has rocked the U.K. entertainment industry and tributes have since flooded in for Mayall, who established himself as a stand-up star in comedy troupe The Comic Strip, a group which also featured his college pal and future professional partner Adrian 'Ade' Edmondson and Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders.
He rose to national fame as one of four students sharing a house in hit sitcom The Young Ones in 1982 and went on to enjoy a slew of iconic roles, including as a mean-spirited politician in The New Statesman and an arrogant military officer in Rowan Atkinson's comedy Blackadder. He also re-teamed with Edmondson to play a pair of hopeless single men in slapstick show Bottom.
Fellow funnyman Walliams was among the first to take to Twitter.com to express his sadness at Mayall's loss, sharing a video clip of his role in Blackadder and writing, "I am heartbroken that my comedy idol growing up Rik Mayall has died. He made me want to be a comedian."
Simon Pegg simply posted YouTube footage of Mayall in The Young Ones with fans, while Brand tweets, "And all the grown-ups will say, 'But why are the kids crying?' And the kids will say, 'Haven't you heard? Rick (sic) is dead' RIP".
Irish actor O'Dowd adds, "Very sad to hear about Rik Mayall's passing. 'Bottom' was a huge part of my youth", and director Edgar Wright posts, "Shocked and saddened that a comedy hero is gone; for those who grew up on The Young Ones, Rik Mayall was one of funniest performers ever."
Monty Python veteran Idle tweets, "Very sad to hear of the passing of Rik Mayall. Far too young. A very funny and talented man", and Blackadder producer and writer John Lloyd tells the BBC, "It's really a dreadful piece of news. He was the most extraordinarily good actor as well as being an amazing stand-up comics. Apart from being great company, he was a great professional."
Meanwhile, his close friend Edmondson has also issued a statement about the years they spent working together, declaring, "They were some of the most carefree, stupid days I ever had and I feel privileged to have shared them with him."
Mayall's cause of death has yet to be determined, but a spokesman for Scotland Yard police reveals paramedics were called to the comedian's house in Barnes, south-west London at 1.20pm local time, when "a man, aged in his 50s, was pronounced dead at the scene". His passing is not believed to be suspicious.
His death comes 16 years after the comedian was left in a coma for several days in 1998 following a quad bike accident near his home in south-west England. He survived the scare but suffered memory problems as a result of the crash.
In recent years, Mayall had concentrated mainly on voiceover work and TV shorts.

Only Fools And Horses actors Sir David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst were among the guests at the funeral of their co-star Roger Lloyd-Pack on Thursday (13Feb14). Lloyd-Pack, best known for his role as road sweeper Trigger in the British sitcom, died of pancreatic cancer last month (Jan14), aged 69.
His friends and family paid their last respects at a memorial service in London on Thursday, with guests including his former castmates Jason, Lyndhurst, Gwyneth Strong, who played Cassandra, John Challis, who played Boycie, and Sue Holderness, who played Marlene.
Actresses Miranda Richardson, Alison Steadman and Kathy Burke and former model Twiggy also joined the congregation, alongside Lloyd-Pack's daughter, A River Runs Through It star Emily Lloyd.
Lloyd-Pack's coffin arrived at St. Paul's Church in Covent Garden in a gleaming pink hearse and his wicker coffin was adorned with flowers and his trademark trilby hat.
The actor - who played Trigger from 1981 to 2003 - was also known for portraying clueless farmer Owen Newitt in British comedy The Vicar Of Dibley, as well as his role in the Harry Potter franchise.

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When Jimmy Fallon joined the late-night talk show race, his relentless positivity and genuine interest in every single guest, from teen queens to multiple Oscar winners, stood in stark contrast to the cranky competitiveness that pervaded that landscape. On Feb. 24, fellow nice guy Seth Meyers trades his Weekend Update desk for one at Late Night and the scales tip further. TV just got a lot friendlier, post-Primetime.
Jay Leno signed off of The Tonight Show on Feb. 6... for the second time. The Leno/Conan O'Brien hand-off debacle raised a lot of hackles. Even the usually congenial O'Brien let his anger and disappointment be known in the documentary Conan O'Brien Can't Stop. Over on CBS, David Letterman seems to be increasingly uninterested in learning anything about his guests, sometimes drawing the line at their names. Now Fallon and Meyers join Craig Ferguson in the small club of hosts unimpeded (at least outwardly) by long-term grudges, blood feuds, etc.
Academy Award producers reacted to the backlash to Seth MacFarlane's hosting performance by replacing him with the kind and almost wholly uncontroversial Ellen DeGeneres. And now, the late-night pendulum is swinging back the other way too. As much fun as it's been to spend night after night after night with uber-rich comics oozing equal amounts of hubris and self-loathing, audiences have responded to Fallon's role as a good-natured fan who can show off while letting his guests show off too. Can we count on Seth Meyers to exude the same perpetual glee as Jimmy, with just a tad more snark? And, more importantly, who will be the Timberlake to his Fallon? We're hoping it's Amy Poehler. We will also accept Bill Hader, in character as Stefon.
Who do you think will reign late-night as the "King of Nice"? Seth or Jimmy? Leave your thoughts in the comments!
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Elton John is hoping to bring Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's musical Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat to the big screen after signing up to help adapt the project through his production company, Rocket Pictures. The Bennie and the Jets hitmaker has teamed up with Webber's The Really Useful Group to develop the film into an animated movie that his husband, David Furnish, will co-produce with Steve Hamilton Shaw.
Shaw says, "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is one of the most popular musical experiences ever conceived. We are excited about the huge potential of a contemporary animated version, and we're thrilled to bring this to the big screen in partnership with Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice."
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat was originally created in 1968.
Webber says, "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat started in a school and was the first step on the path that led to my musicals with Tim Rice. It is now being performed all over the world by a fourth generation of school kids, and a great movie can only help Joseph being part of the lives of many more."
Rice adds, "I have always thought Joseph was a strong contender for an animation production, and I'm delighted this is now going to happen."

Actor Neil Patrick Harris was honoured by his peers at The Drama League's 30th annual all-star gala in New York City on Monday night (03Feb14). The TV and stage performer's career was celebrated at the organisation's Musical Celebration of Broadway event at the Pierre Hotel in Manhattan.
Stars including Zachary Levi, Kal Penn, Audra McDonald and Harris' TV reporter partner David Burtka were in attendance at the bash, hosted by Whoopi Goldberg.
Drama League Executive Director Gabriel Shanks says, "We are overjoyed to add Neil Patrick Harris to the legendary roster of artists who have been honoured at the Musical Celebration of Broadway during the last 30 years. After distinguishing himself in film, television, theatre, web series, music, and as a staunch advocate for youth and arts education like that provided by The Drama League, Neil's return to Broadway this season is cause for celebration."
Harris is returning to the Great White Way in a new production of Hedwig And The Angry Inch which opens in April (14).
Other stars to be honoured over the last 30 years include Dame Angela Lansbury, Liza Minnelli and Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber.